Staff reporter

It is the largest gem-quality stone found at Lulo by the company and its partners, Empresa Nacional de Diamantes and Rosas & Petalas, beating out the 43ct yellow gem recovered in January and the 39ct pink stone found in September last year.

The 46ct diamond was found in the new mining block four, the area close to the treatment plant and planned for resource delineation this year to be included in the alluvial JORC resource update.

"The frequent recovery of large and premium-value diamonds from new areas along the Cacuilo River valley continues to illustrate the uniqueness and potential of the Lulo diamond concession," Lucapa said.

It noted that it had already recovered 10 over-100ct diamonds at the mine, including a 404ct and 227ct type-2a gems, which were the largest recorded in Angola.